JP2004048560A - Image display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an image display device which can display on a single screen both of an photographed image and a map most closely related to the image in a linked relationship. <P>SOLUTION: The display device includes a hard disk (HDD) 101 for storing a file of the image photographed by a digital camera equipped with a GPS function, a map database 103 for storing data about a plurality of maps having different creation dates, a map selector 105 for selecting one of the maps stored in the database 103 and having a creation date most close to the photographed date of an image file selected by the user, and a display processor 107 for processing the data of the image file and the map image data selected by the map selector 105 to display both the photographed image and the map image in a desired form. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an image display apparatus that associates a photographed image with a map most relevant to the photographed image and displays both the photographed image and the map on one screen.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Images taken with a digital camera are saved as files. In the image file, not only image data but also auxiliary information related to shooting conditions such as shooting date / time, shutter speed, and exposure are recorded. As one of such recording formats, there is “Exif standard” in which various attached information can be recorded by tags.
[0003]
By the way, although a cellular phone having a GPS function is used today, a digital camera having a GPS function is also considered. The GPS (Global Positioning System) is a positioning system that can measure the current position at an arbitrary point on the earth by receiving radio waves from a plurality of mobile satellites orbiting the earth in a low orbit. In such a digital camera having a GPS function, GPS information relating to a shooting point is obtained as one of information attached to an image. Therefore, a tag capable of recording GPS information is defined in the format according to the Exif standard.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By using GPS information included in an image file of an image taken with a digital camera equipped with the GPS function, it is possible to associate a shot image with a shooting point. Therefore, if an image file is copied or moved from a digital camera to a personal computer (PC) and the image file and the map database are used by using the PC, thumbnails of the photographed images are arranged on the map, or the photographed images and the map are mapped. Can be displayed side by side on a single screen.
[0005]
However, when the map database used for associating the captured image with the map has only one type of map, the image capturing date and the map creation date may differ greatly. For example, even if a photographed image of a newly constructed building is associated with a map 10 years ago, the building is not registered in the map, and therefore, both cannot be displayed in association with each other. On the contrary, even if the photographed image of the already demolished building is associated with the map created after being demolished, the building is not registered in the map, so both are displayed in association with each other. I can't. As described above, when the image shooting date and the map creation date are largely different from each other in age, there is a possibility that the shot image and the map display do not match.
[0006]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-described conventional circumstances, and displays both a captured image and a map on a single screen after associating a captured image with a map most relevant to the captured image. An object of the present invention is to provide an image display device that can perform the above-described operation.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an image display device according to the present invention associates a captured image with a map most relevant to the captured image, and displays both the captured image and the map on one screen. An image display device based on a map database storing at least one map having a different creation year and an image file including shooting date / time information and shooting point information, and closest to the shooting date / time of the image file from the map database Map selection means for selecting a map of the creation year, a map image including the shooting point of the image file in the map selected by the map selection means, and a shot image of the image file are displayed on one screen. Display processing means. Accordingly, it is possible to display the most relevant map image including the shooting point with the shooting date and time as a parameter together with the shot image.
[0008]
In the image display device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the map selecting unit selects a map of a creation year prior to the shooting date and time of the image file.
[0009]
In the image display device according to the present invention, the display processing unit performs processing so as to display a symbol indicating a shooting point of the captured image or a thumbnail image of the captured image in the map image. Therefore, it is possible to know the distribution of the shooting points.
[0010]
The image display apparatus according to the present invention is an image display apparatus that displays both the photographed image and the distribution map on one screen after associating the photographed image with the distribution map most relevant to the photographed image. The distribution map database based on a distribution map database storing at least one distribution map created from data obtained as a result of observation at a predetermined date and time, and an image file including shooting date information and shooting point information Distribution map selecting means for selecting a distribution map of date and time that coincides with the shooting date and time of the image file within a predetermined error range, and a distribution including the shooting point of the image file in the distribution map selected by the distribution map selecting means Display processing means for processing to display the graphic image and the captured image of the image file on one screen. Therefore, it is possible to display the most relevant distribution map including the shooting point with the shooting date and time as a parameter together with the shot image.
[0011]
In the image display device according to the present invention, the display processing unit performs processing so as to display a symbol indicating a shooting point of the captured image or a thumbnail image of the captured image on the distribution map screen. Therefore, it is possible to know the distribution of the shooting points.
[0012]
Furthermore, the image display device according to the present invention searches for a captured image with matching parameters using the data as a search condition, and the display processing unit corresponds to the captured image obtained as a result of the search and the captured image. Process to display the distribution map on one screen. Therefore, the search can be performed using the atmospheric pressure, the temperature, the humidity and the like as parameters, and both the distribution map and the captured image can be displayed as the search results.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of an image display apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail in the order of [first embodiment] and [second embodiment] with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an image display apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, an image display apparatus according to the present embodiment includes a hard disk (hereinafter referred to as “HDD”) 101, a map database 103, a map selection unit 105 corresponding to a map selection unit in claims, A display processing unit 107 corresponding to the display processing means, and the photographed image and the map are both displayed on one screen after associating the photographed image with the map most relevant to the photographed image. To do.
[0015]
Hereafter, each component which the image display apparatus of this embodiment has is demonstrated.
First, the HDD 101 will be described. The HDD 101 is a recording medium that stores an image file of an image taken by a digital camera. An image photographed by the digital camera is recorded as an image file on a recording medium such as a memory card mounted on the digital camera, but is copied or moved to the HDD 101 by a user operation. In the image file, not only image data but also attached information regarding shooting conditions such as shooting date and time, shutter speed, and exposure are recorded. As one of such recording formats, there is “Exif standard” in which various attached information can be recorded by tags.
[0016]
The digital camera used in this embodiment is equipped with a GPS function. GPS (Global Positioning System) is a positioning system that can measure the current position at an arbitrary point on the earth by receiving radio waves from a plurality of mobile satellites orbiting the earth in a low orbit. Therefore, when shooting is performed by the digital camera equipped with the GPS function of the present embodiment, information on shooting date and time, shooting point, and the like are recorded in a predetermined format in addition to image data. Note that the predetermined format is provided with a tag indicating GPS information related to the shooting location as one of the attached information, as in the Exif standard described above. The schematic is shown in FIG.
[0017]
Next, the map database 103 will be described. The map database 103 of the present embodiment stores data for a plurality of maps with different creation years. For example, a 1990 map, a 1995 map, and a 2000 map of the same area are stored. Note that the term “map” in the present embodiment includes a topographic map representing a topography by contour lines in addition to a map that is generally used.
[0018]
Next, the map selection unit 105 will be described. The map selection unit 105 selects a map of the creation year closest to the shooting date from the maps stored in the map database 103 based on the shooting date information of the image file selected by the user stored in the HDD 101. To do. For example, in the example of the map database 103 described above, a map for 1991 is used for an image taken on April 8, 1992, a map for 1995 is used for an image taken on January 1, 1998, Select the 2000 map for the 13th month image. The map selection unit 105 does not need to select a map whose creation year is before the shooting date and time, and may select a map whose creation year is after the shooting date and time.
[0019]
In addition, after selecting a map, the map selection unit 105 reads map image data including a point indicated by the GPS information from the map database 103 based on the GPS information of the image file. It should be noted that if there is no map including the shooting location, map image data cannot be read from the map database 103 as a matter of course.
[0020]
Next, the display processing unit 107 will be described. The display processing unit 107 performs processing to display both the captured image and the map image in a predetermined form from the image data of the image file selected by the user and the map image data of the map selected by the map selection unit 105. It is. Note that the display processing unit 107 performs processing to display a symbol or the like indicating the shooting location on the map.
[0021]
FIG. 3 shows an example of a display screen by the image display apparatus of this embodiment. As shown in the figure, a captured image 301 and a map 303 indicating a shooting location are displayed side by side on the display screen, and information 305 such as a file name and a shooting date is also displayed. In addition, a plurality of thumbnail images 307 can be displayed side by side. When one of the thumbnail images is selected by the user, the image display apparatus of the present embodiment displays the selected image in a large size, selects a map of the creation year corresponding to the image, and sets the shooting location. Display the map that contains it. For example, in FIG. 3, an image taken on March 13, 2001 and a map for 2000 are displayed, but in FIG. 4, an image taken on January 1, 1996 and a map for 1995 are shown. 5, an image of April 8, 1992 and a map of 1991 are displayed by selection by the user.
[0022]
Next, the operation (image display method) of the image display apparatus of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
First, when an image file is selected by the user, the image data of the selected image file is read from the HDD 101 (step S101). Next, the display processing unit 107 performs processing to display a captured image from the image data read in step S101 (step S103). Next, the map selection part 105 reads imaging | photography date information and GPS information from an image file (step S105).
[0023]
Next, it is searched from the GPS information read in step S105 whether there is a map in the map database 103 that includes the shooting location indicated by the GPS information (step S107). As a result of the search in step S107, it is determined whether there is a corresponding map (step S109). If there is no corresponding map, the process proceeds to step S111, and if there is, the process proceeds to step S113. In step S111, the fact that there is no corresponding map in the map database 103 is displayed, and the series of processing ends.
[0024]
On the other hand, in step S113, it is determined whether there are a plurality of corresponding maps from the shooting date / time information read in step S105. If there are a plurality of maps, the process proceeds to step S115, and if there is only one, the process proceeds to step S117. In step S115, the map selection unit 105 selects the map closest to the shooting date and time, and proceeds to step S117. In step S117, map image data is read from the map database 103, processing is performed so as to display a symbol or the like indicating a shooting location on the map, and the series of processing ends.
[0025]
As described above, according to the image display device and the image display method of the present embodiment, the map database 103 stores a plurality of maps having different creation years, and when a captured image is selected by the user, The map of the creation year closest to the shooting date and time of the selected image is selected, and both the map image and the shot image of the map are displayed on one screen. Therefore, it is possible to display the most relevant map including the shooting point with the shooting date and time as a parameter together with the shot image.
[0026]
[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, a map is displayed together with the photographed image, but in the second embodiment, a weather map, sunflower image, atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity created from data obtained as a result of observation at a predetermined date and time. It may be a distribution map using the above as a parameter, a deforestation distribution map, a flood damage situation explanatory diagram, or the like. Hereinafter, these figures are collectively referred to as a “distribution map”. When a distribution map is used, the user often cannot obtain useful information unless a distribution map that matches the image capturing date and time is associated. Note that the digital camera used in this embodiment can record the atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, and the like at the time of shooting, and the attached information of the shot image includes recorded data of these parameters.
[0027]
Since the configuration of the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment is substantially the same as that of the image display apparatus according to the first embodiment, the map database 103 is replaced with the distribution map database 203, and the map selection unit 105 is referred to as claims. The distribution map selection unit 205 corresponding to the distribution map selection unit will be described. As described in the first embodiment, the map selection unit 105 selects a map of the creation year closest to the shooting date and time from the maps stored in the map database 103, but the distribution map selection unit in this embodiment In 205, a distribution map that matches the photographing date and time within a predetermined error range is selected.
[0028]
Hereinafter, the operation (image display method) of the image display apparatus of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
First, when an image file is selected by the user, the image data of the selected image file is read from the HDD 101 (step S201). Next, the display processing unit 107 performs processing to display a captured image from the image data read in step S201 (step S203). Next, the distribution map selection unit 205 reads shooting date / time information and GPS information from the image file (step S205).
[0029]
Next, from the shooting date / time information and GPS information read in step S205, it is searched whether there is a distribution map corresponding to these information in the distribution map database 203 (step S207). As a result of the search in step S207, it is determined whether there is a corresponding distribution map (step S209). If there is no corresponding distribution map, the process proceeds to step S211. If there is, the process proceeds to step S213. In step S211, it is displayed that the corresponding distribution map does not exist in the distribution map database 203, and a series of processing ends. On the other hand, in step S213, the distribution map image data is read from the distribution map database 203, processing is performed so as to display a symbol or the like indicating the photographing location in the distribution map, and the series of processing ends.
[0030]
Further, in the image display device of the present embodiment, it is possible to search using conditions such as atmospheric pressure, temperature, and humidity. When the search is performed, the image display device displays a captured image in which parameters such as atmospheric pressure, air temperature, and humidity recorded as attached information of the captured image match, and a distribution diagram corresponding to the captured image. Note that the search condition is not limited to one, and a plurality of search conditions may be selected. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a search condition setting screen. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of a display screen by the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment.
[0031]
As described above, according to the image display apparatus and the image display method of the present embodiment, the distribution map database 203 stores a plurality of distribution maps having different creation dates and times, and when a photographed image is selected by the user. Then, a distribution map that matches the shooting date and time of the selected image within a predetermined error range is selected, and both the distribution map image and the captured image of the distribution map are displayed on one screen. Therefore, it is possible to display the most relevant distribution map including the shooting point with the shooting date and time as a parameter together with the shot image. Further, the search can be performed using the atmospheric pressure, the temperature, the humidity and the like as parameters, and both the distribution map and the photographed image can be displayed as the search results.
[0032]
In the first and second embodiments, it has been described that the shooting date / time information and the GPS information are included as the attached information in the image file. However, only the attached information is recorded in another database or the like. May be. In the display screens shown in FIGS. 3 to 5 and FIG. 9 by the image display device of the present embodiment, the shooting location is represented by a symbol, but may be represented by a thumbnail of the photographed image. Also, the number of shooting points that can be displayed in the map or distribution map is not limited to one, and may be plural. At this time, the shooting point may be represented by a thumbnail of each shot image. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the map selection unit 105 (distribution map selection unit 205) selects an appropriate map (distribution map) from the map database 103 (distribution map database 203), but it may be selectable by the user.
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the image display device of the present invention, it is possible to display the most relevant map image or distribution map image including the shooting point with the shooting date and time as a parameter together with the shot image.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram illustrating an image display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a data configuration of an image file in Exif format. FIG. 3 is an image display device according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen by the image display device of the first embodiment. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a display screen by the image display device of the first embodiment. FIG. 6 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image display apparatus according to the first embodiment. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining the operation of the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a display screen by the image display apparatus according to the second embodiment.
101 Hard disk (HDD)
103 Map Database 105 Map Selection Unit 107 Display Processing Unit 203 Distribution Map Database 205 Distribution Map Selection Unit

Claims (6)

An image display device that displays both the photographed image and the map on one screen after associating the photographed image with the map most relevant to the photographed image,
A map database storing at least one map with a different year of creation;
Based on an image file including shooting date and time information and shooting point information, a map selection means for selecting a map of the creation year closest to the shooting date and time of the image file from the map database;
Display processing means for processing to display a map image including a photographing point of the image file in the map selected by the map selecting means and a photographed image of the image file;
An image display device comprising: 2. The image display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the map selection unit selects a map of a creation year prior to the shooting date and time of the image file. 2. The image display device according to claim 1, wherein the display processing unit performs processing so as to display a symbol indicating a photographing point of the photographed image or a thumbnail image of the photographed image in the map image. An image display device that displays both the photographed image and the distribution map on one screen after associating the photographed image with the distribution map most relevant to the photographed image,
A distribution map database storing at least one distribution map created from data obtained as a result of observation at a predetermined date and time;
A distribution map selection means for selecting a distribution map of the date and time that coincides with the shooting date and time of the image file within a predetermined error range from the distribution map database based on the image file including the shooting date and time information and shooting point information;
Display processing means for processing to display a distribution map image including a shooting point of the image file in the distribution map selected by the distribution map selection means and a captured image of the image file on one screen;
An image display device comprising: 5. The image display device according to claim 4, wherein the display processing unit performs processing so as to display a symbol indicating a photographing point of the photographed image or a thumbnail image of the photographed image on the distribution map screen. Using the data as a search condition, search for captured images with matching parameters,
6. The image display device according to claim 4, wherein the display processing unit performs processing so as to display a captured image obtained as a result of the search and a distribution map corresponding to the captured image on one screen. .

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